Warm-up & Stretching
A warm-up prepares your body for the work ahead. A cool-down and stretch help it recover after. Neither takes long, and both are worth the habit.
Session structure
Warm-up
A good warm-up takes 1-2 minutes, 3 at most. It should be dynamic - active movements like hops, rotations, and chest expansions that raise your heart rate and increase blood flow to the muscles you're about to use. Warm-ups matter more than stretching for injury prevention. Don't skip them.
Match it to the workout. A warm-up should engage the same muscles you'll be using:
DAREBEE workouts. Use your first circuit set as the warm-up - move slower and with less intensity than you plan to.
Bodyweight. Basic neck, arm, torso, and leg rotations to loosen up the whole body.
Running. Start with a light jog to warm up your legs before picking up pace.
Martial arts. A few light kicks and punches to get the relevant muscles primed and moving.
Weightlifting. A few reps with very light weights before moving to your working weight.
Weather counts. In cold weather your body prioritises keeping your core warm over your extremities, so give yourself a little more time. In summer, muscles loosen faster.
Ready-made warm-ups
Not sure where to start? Pick one of these - each is a short, self-contained routine you can run before anything on the site:
All of them live in the Warm Ups collection. Want to go deeper - when you need one, how to choose, what a warm-up actually does? The Guide to Warm-Ups covers it.
Cool-down and stretching
A cool-down marks the end of a session and helps your body return to its normal pace - lowering your heart rate gradually and reducing muscle stiffness. It can be a gentle walk, light yoga, or a few minutes of easy movement.
This is also the best time to stretch. Your muscles are fully warmed up, which makes them more pliable and able to hold deeper stretches, and that's where the flexibility gains come from over time. Stretching cold muscles is far less effective and more uncomfortable.
Why bother? Well-stretched muscles improve your range of motion and reduce injury risk. For any kind of training, tight muscles create resistance and waste energy; releasing that tension makes movement more efficient. Everyone can improve their flexibility with consistent effort.
Skipping stretching occasionally won't cause major issues, but it's a good habit to build. Browse all stretching workouts →
Still have questions?
The DAREBEE Help Desk on the community forum is the best place to ask. The team answers questions there, and chances are someone has already asked the same thing.
